JP5771066B2 - Tube fusing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention performs tube fusing for fusing one resin tube to create two sealed ends, and tube welding for fusing each end of two resin tubes to connect the ends together. The present invention relates to a tube fusing and welding apparatus.

  Conventionally, when performing tube fusing or tube welding, the devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 may be used. Each of Patent Documents 1 and 2 includes a tube holder for holding a tube, a wafer made of a metal plate heated to the melting temperature of the tube, and a carriage for holding and moving the wafer. . The wafer is provided with wings that protrude to both sides in the thickness direction.

  When the tube is melted, the tube is held by the tube holder, and then the heated wafer is moved by the carriage and pressed against the tube to be melted. After fusing, insert the wing part of the wafer into each end part of the two tubes and melt the end part of each tube to a part deeper than the opening, and then remove the wing part from the end part of the tube, The end is cooled in a sealed state to produce a sealed end.

  When connecting two tubes, hold each tube in the tube holder, then insert each wing of the heated wafer into the end of each tube, and place the end of each tube over the opening. After melting to a deep part, the wing is removed from the end of the tube, and the ends of the tube are pressed together to weld the entire circumference.

  By inserting the wafer blade into the end of the tube at the time of fusing and welding the tube in this way, it is possible to heat and melt a wide range deeper than the end opening of the tube, so it is strong and reliable at the time of fusing Sealing is possible, and a strong and reliable connection is possible at the time of welding.

  Furthermore, by using a very high temperature wafer at the time of fusing and welding the tube, a heat sterilization effect can be obtained, and it is possible to prevent germs and the like from entering the tube, which is particularly useful in the medical field.

JP-A-6-197986 Japanese Patent No. 3179966

  However, in the apparatuses of Patent Documents 1 and 2, in order to obtain the above-described effect, it is premised that the blade portion of the wafer is securely inserted into the end portion of the tube. For example, if the wing portion of the wafer and the end portion of the tube are shifted up and down, the wing portion may not be inserted into the end portion of the tube as intended.

  In order to avoid this, the dimensional accuracy of each component that constitutes the device must be greatly increased from the current level, and the assembly of each component must be performed with high accuracy and strict control, which is costly. Will soar.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and the object of the present invention is to increase the dimensional accuracy of each part of the device so much, and without strictly managing the assembly of each part, An object of the present invention is to enable easy and accurate alignment between the end of the tube and the wing of the wafer.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, the wafer holding member for holding the wafer is floatingly supported with respect to the main body of the carriage so that the height of the wafer holding member can be adjusted.

  1st invention is the tube fusing welding apparatus comprised so that a resin-made tube may be fusing and welding using the wafer which has the wing | blade part which protrudes to the thickness direction both sides, It arrange | positions along with a horizontal direction mutually, The said tube First and second tube holders for holding the first and second tube holders, tube holder driving means for moving the first and second tube holders toward and away from each other, and the melting temperature of the tubes by heating the wafer The heating means for achieving the above, a carriage for holding the wafer, and moving the wafer between the tube holders by horizontally moving the carriage in a direction intersecting the alignment direction of the tube holders. Carriage driving means, tube holder, tube holder driving means, and carriage driving means An apparatus main body to be attached, and the carriage is connected to the carriage driving means to transmit a driving force, and the wafer is held so as to extend across the center line of the tube. And a support member that supports the wafer holding member in a floating state so that the wafer holding member can be displaced in the vertical direction with respect to the main body, and the wafer holding member is disposed below the wafer holding member in the apparatus main body. A height adjusting mechanism for adjusting the height of the head is provided.

  According to this configuration, for example, due to variations in the dimensional tolerance range of each part or variations in the assembly tolerance range, the height of the wing portion of the wafer and the first and second tube holders are held. When the height of the tube is shifted, the height of the wafer is changed by adjusting the height of the wafer holding member by the height adjusting mechanism. As a result, the wing height of the wafer matches the height of the tube held in the tube holder without significantly increasing the dimensional accuracy of each component and without strictly managing the assembly of each component. It becomes possible to make it.

  In a second aspect based on the first aspect, the support member is an elastic body.

  According to this configuration, since the wafer holding member can be elastically supported with respect to the main body portion of the carriage, the height of the wafer holding member can be easily adjusted only by operating the height adjusting mechanism.

  In a third aspect based on the second aspect, the elastic body is a leaf spring, an end portion side of the leaf spring is fixed to the main body of the carriage, and the wafer holding member is located at an intermediate portion of the leaf spring. It is characterized by being fixed.

  According to this configuration, when adjusting the height of the wafer holding member, the displacement of the wafer holding member is allowed by bending and deforming the leaf spring. It becomes possible to allow displacement in the direction.

  According to a fourth invention, in any one of the first to third inventions, the height adjustment mechanism includes an adjustment pin for moving in the vertical direction to displace the wafer holding member of the carriage in the vertical direction. The adjustment pin is arranged directly below the tube holding portion set in the first and second tube holders.

  According to this configuration, when the wafer holding member of the carriage is driven by the carriage driving means and moves to a position corresponding to the tube holding portion of the tube holder, the wafer holding member is displaced in the vertical direction by the adjustment pin, and the wing portion of the wafer Is equal to the height of the tube held by the tube holder. That is, it is possible to reliably match the height of the wing portion of the wafer and the height of the tube (where the tube holder corresponds to the tube holding portion of the tube holder).

  According to a fifth invention, in any one of the first to fourth inventions, a contact member having a contact surface with which the height adjusting mechanism contacts from below is coupled to the wafer holding member of the carriage, and the contact surface The outer edge of the carriage in the moving direction is connected to an inclined surface that is inclined so as to be positioned upward as it is away from the contact surface.

  According to this configuration, when the carriage is moved by the carriage driving means, the height adjusting mechanism first comes into contact with the inclined surface. While the height adjustment mechanism is in contact with the inclined surface, the height of the wafer holding member gradually changes. When the height adjustment mechanism comes into contact with the contact surface, the height of the wing portion of the wafer and the tube The height of the same. Therefore, the height of the wafer holding member can be changed smoothly.

According to a sixth invention, in the third invention, a through-hole penetrating in the vertical direction is formed in the main body portion of the carriage, the wafer holding member is inserted into the through-hole, and the plate spring is formed of the body Is attached to the lower surface of the main body so as to cover the lower end opening of the through hole of the portion, and the lower surface of the leaf spring is provided with an abutting member in contact with the height adjusting mechanism. The opening is set smaller than the lower end opening of the through hole.

  According to this configuration, when the height adjusting mechanism comes into contact with the contact member, the leaf spring is bent and deformed in the vertical direction, and the wafer holding member is displaced in the vertical direction along the through hole of the main body portion of the carriage. . At this time, since the outer shape of the contact member is smaller than the lower end opening of the through hole, the contact member does not interfere with the main body of the carriage when the wafer holding member is displaced upward.

  According to the first invention, the wafer holding member for holding the wafer is floatingly supported with respect to the main body of the carriage, and the height of the wafer holding member is adjusted below the wafer holding member in the apparatus main body. Since the height adjustment mechanism is provided, the wing height of the wafer and the height of the tube can be reduced at low cost without significantly increasing the dimensional accuracy of each part and without strictly managing the assembly of each part. The tube can be matched, and the tube can be sealed and connected firmly and securely.

  According to the second invention, since the wafer holding member is elastically supported with respect to the main body of the carriage, the height of the wafer holding member can be easily adjusted.

  According to the third invention, since the elastic body is a leaf spring, a structure that allows the wafer holding member to be displaced in the vertical direction can be obtained in a compact manner.

  According to the fourth aspect of the invention, since the adjustment pin is disposed directly below the tube holding portion set in the first and second tube holders, the height of the wing portion of the wafer and the height of the tube are surely matched. Can do.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the contact member having the contact surface with which the height adjusting mechanism is in contact with the wafer holding member of the carriage is coupled, and the inclined surface is continuous with the outer edge portion of the carriage in the moving direction on the contact surface. The height of the wafer holding member can be changed smoothly.

  According to the sixth invention, when the wafer holding member is inserted into the through-hole formed in the main body portion of the carriage and supported by the leaf spring, the contact member that the height adjustment mechanism is in contact with the lower surface of the leaf spring is provided. Since the outer shape of the contact member is set smaller than the lower end opening of the through-hole, the contact member does not interfere with the main body of the carriage when the wafer holding member is displaced upward, and the height adjustment is performed reliably. be able to.

It is a figure explaining the use condition of the tube fusing welding device concerning an embodiment. It is a perspective view of a tube fusing apparatus. It is a block diagram of a tube fusing apparatus. It is the perspective view which looked at the tube fusing welding apparatus from the bottom face side. It is a perspective view of a wafer. It is a side view of a wafer. It is a top view of a wafer. It is the perspective view which looked at the carriage from the bottom. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the line IX-IX in FIG. 4 when the carriage moves to a height adjustment mechanism. It is a top view of the carriage holding the wafer. It is the XI-XI sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the XII-XII sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a bottom view of a carriage. FIG. 11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 10 showing a state in which the end portion of the tube is opposed to the blade portion of the wafer when the tube is welded. FIG. 11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 10 showing a state in which a wafer blade is inserted into the end of the tube. FIG. 11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 10 showing a state where a part of the melted portion at the end of the tube is removed. FIG. 11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 10 showing a state where the end of the tube is melted. It is FIG. 10 equivalent view which shows the state which faced | matched the edge parts of a tube. FIG. 11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 10 showing a state where the tube is melted.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the following description of the preferred embodiment is merely illustrative in nature, and is not intended to limit the present invention, its application, or its use.

  FIG. 1 shows a use state of a tube fusing and welding apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The tube fusing and welding device 1 cuts the tubes 100 and 102 when connecting the abdominal tube 100 embedded in the abdomen of the CAPD patient and the bag tube 102 extending from the bags 101a and 101b containing the dialysate. It is used when doing.

  The abdomen side tube 100 is provided with a stopper 103 and a roller clamp 104. The proximal end side of the bag side tube 102 is branched into two tubes 102a and 102b, the tube 102a is connected to the drainage bag 101a, and the tube 102b is connected to the dialysate bag 101b. A drainage side clamp 106 is provided on the tube 102a. The tube 102 b is provided with a stopper 107 and a liquid injection side clamp 108. The abdomen side tube 100 and the bag side tube 102 are made of a known resin material that melts by heating.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the tube fusing and welding apparatus 1 includes a left tube holder (first tube holder) 10, a right tube holder (second tube holder) 11, a tube holder drive motor (tube holder drive means) 12, A wafer 13 (shown in FIG. 5), a carriage 14 (shown in FIG. 4) for holding the wafer 13, a carriage drive mechanism (carriage drive means) 15 (shown in FIG. 4) for driving the carriage 14, and the wafer 13 A wafer heater (heating means) 16 for heating the apparatus, a control unit 17, and an apparatus main body 18 for housing them are provided.

  The apparatus main body 18 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped member 18a and a cover 18b that covers the box-shaped member 18a. The cover 18b is supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the end portion in the longitudinal direction of the box-shaped member 18a.

  As shown in each figure, the left side of the tube fusing and welding apparatus 1 refers to the left side when viewed from the user when setting the tubes 100 and 102 during use. Similarly, the right side means the right side, the near side of the tube fusing device 1 means the near side, and the far side of the tube fusing device 1 is the same. It shall be the back side.

  The left tube holder 10 is disposed on the left side of the box-shaped member 18a, and the right tube holder 11 is disposed on the right side of the box-shaped member 18a. That is, the left tube holder 10 and the right tube holder 11 are aligned in the horizontal direction.

  The left tube holder 10 holds one of the abdomen side tube 100 and the bag side tube 102, and the left tube holder 10 holds the other. In the description of this embodiment, as shown by phantom lines, a case where the left tube holder 10 holds the abdomen tube 100 and the left tube holder 10 holds the bag tube 102 will be described, but the opposite is true. Also good.

  The left tube holder 10 includes a base portion 20 and a pressing cover 21 for pressing the tubes 100 and 102. The base portion 20 is attached to the box-shaped member 18a via a slide rail or the like so as to be movable only in the left-right direction. On the upper surface of the base part 20, a groove part (tube holding part) 20a into which the abdomen side tube 100 or the bag side tube 102 is fitted is formed. The groove portion 20 a extends straight in the left-right direction of the base portion 20 and is open to the left and right side surfaces of the base portion 20. The tubes 100 and 102 are inserted and held in the groove 20a in a state where the center line thereof coincides with the extending direction of the groove 20a.

  The width of the right end portion of the groove portion 20a is wider than other portions. This is because when the abdomen side tube 100 and the bag side tube 102 are connected, the sealing portion of the tubes 100 and 102 is fitted to the right end of the groove 20a. That is, since the end portions of the tubes 100 and 102 before connection are welded and sealed while being crushed in the radial direction, only the end portions have a wide shape. The groove 20a is formed so as to correspond to the shape.

  The presser cover 21 has a shape that covers the entire upper surface of the base portion 20. A back side portion of the pressing cover 21 is attached to a back side portion of the base portion 20 via a support shaft 21a extending in the left-right direction so as to be rotatable. Although not shown, when the presser cover 21 is rotated upward around the support shaft 21a, the upper surface of the base portion 20 is opened. On the other hand, when the presser cover 21 is rotated downward from the open state as shown in FIG. The top surface is covered. The presser cover 21 is locked by the lock mechanism 23 in a state where the upper surface of the base portion 20 is covered, so that the presser cover 21 does not rotate in the opening direction (upward direction). The lock mechanism 23 can be easily released by the user.

  When the pressing cover 21 is in a state of covering the upper surface of the base portion 20, the end portions of the tubes 100 and 102 are crushed in the radial direction (vertical direction) together with the bottom surface of the groove portion 20a so as to be in a closed state. .

  The right tube holder 11 has a left-right symmetric structure with respect to the left tube holder 10, and includes a base portion 23, a pressing cover 24, and a stopper 25. A groove portion 23 a is formed in the base portion 23, and a support shaft 24 a is provided in the pressing cover 24. The left end of the groove 23a is wider than the other part of the groove 23a. The extension line of the groove portion 23a of the right tube holder 11 and the extension line of the groove portion 20a of the left tube holder 10 are substantially matched in both the height direction and the depth direction.

  The tube holder drive motor 12 shown in FIG. 3 is for moving the left and right tube holders 10 and 11 in the left-right direction, and is constituted by a known servo motor. The tube holder drive motor 12 is connected to the control unit 17 and operates based on a control signal output from the control unit 17.

  The rotation of the output shaft of the tube holder drive motor 12 is converted into a linear motion in the left-right direction by a known power conversion mechanism (for example, a rack and pinion mechanism) and transmitted to the left tube holder 10 and the right tube holder 11. Yes. When the tube holder drive motor 12 rotates, the left tube holder 10 and the right tube holder 11 simultaneously move in the left-right direction by the same amount. At this time, if the left tube holder 10 moves to the left side, the right tube holder 11 moves to the right side. On the other hand, if the left tube holder 10 moves to the right side, the right tube holder 11 moves to the left side. Yes. That is, the left tube holder 10 and the right tube holder 11 are driven by a common tube holder drive motor 12 and move in a direction in which they are in contact with and away from each other. Thereby, it becomes possible to move the ends of the abdomen-side tube 100 and the bag-side tube 102 in a direction in which they are in contact with and away from each other.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the wafer 13 is made of an oxygen-free copper plate and has a substantially rectangular shape that is long in the left-right direction in a side view. The thickness of the wafer 13 is set to about 0.5 mm.

  The wafer 13 is detachably attached to the tube fusing device 1 in a posture extending substantially vertically. Wing portions 30 and 30 extending to both sides in the thickness direction are formed in the middle portion in the longitudinal direction of the upper portion of the wafer 13. As shown in FIG. 7, the extending length B of the wings 30, 30 is set to about 1 mm from the surface of the main body portion of the wafer 13. Further, the width W of the wing portions 30 and 30 is set to be slightly narrower than the width C of the sealed end portions of the tubes 100 and 102.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a portion surrounded by an imaginary line 31 on one side in the longitudinal direction from the wings 30, 30 at the upper part of the wafer 13 is a cutting part for cutting the tubes 100, 102. Yes. The cutting part 31 extends substantially flat in the vertical direction.

  In the upper part of the wafer 13 on the other side in the longitudinal direction from the wings 30, 30 are formed bulging parts 32, 32 that bulge to both sides in the thickness direction. The bulging portions 32, 32 and the wing portions 30, 30 are arranged at an interval in the longitudinal direction of the wafer 13.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the bulging dimension D of the bulging portions 32, 32 is set to about 1 mm to 2 mm from the surface of the main body portion of the wafer 13. One side in the longitudinal direction of the wafer 13 in the bulging portions 32 and 32 is open. Although the details will be described later, the bulging portions 32 and 32 are for scooping and removing a part of the melted portions at the ends of the tubes 100 and 102 before connection.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a portion surrounded by an imaginary line 33 on the other side in the longitudinal direction of the upper portion of the wafer 13 with respect to the bulging portions 32, 32 is a melting portion for melting the tubes 100, 102. ing. The melting portions 33 are respectively provided on both surfaces of the wafer 13 and extend substantially flat in the vertical direction.

  The wing parts 30, 30, the cutting part 31, the bulging parts 32, 32, and the melting parts 33, 33 are arranged at the same height. An engagement hole 34 is formed below the cutting portion 31 in the wafer 13.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the carriage 14 includes a main body block (main body portion) 40, a wafer holding member 41, a leaf spring 42, and a lower block (contact member) 45. The main body block 40 is made of an aluminum alloy member that is long in the left-right direction. On the left side of the main body block 40, a guide hole 40a having a circular cross section penetrating substantially horizontally from the near side to the far side is formed. As shown in FIG. 4, a guide rod 50 of a carriage drive mechanism 15 described later is inserted into the guide hole 40a.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a shaft insertion hole 40 b is formed on the right side of the main body block 40 so as to penetrate substantially horizontally from the near side to the far side. A nut sliding screw device is provided inside the shaft insertion hole 40b. A specific example of the nut sliding screw device is, for example, a ball screw device.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a screw rod 51 of the carriage drive mechanism 15 described later is inserted into the shaft insertion hole 40b. In addition, a wide groove 40c extending from the labor side to the back side is formed in the lower surface of the main body block 40 at a portion corresponding to between the guide hole 40a and the shaft insertion hole 40b.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, a through hole 40 d penetrating in the vertical direction is formed between the guide hole 40 a and the shaft insertion hole 40 b of the main body block 40. The lower end of the through hole 40d is open to the inner surface of the groove 40c. The wafer holding member 41 is formed by molding a resin material such as polyimide into a block shape. The wafer holding member 41 is inserted into the through hole 40d of the main body block 40, and can be displaced in the vertical direction along the inner surface of the through hole 40d in the inserted state.

  On the upper surface of the wafer holding member 41, a wafer insertion groove 41a into which the lower portion of the wafer 13 is fitted is formed. The wafer insertion groove 41a extends from the labor side to the back side. Therefore, the wafer 13 is held by the wafer holding member 41 in a posture that is substantially vertical and extends from the near side to the back side.

  The wafer holding member 41 incorporates an engagement claw (not shown) that is inserted into the engagement hole 34 of the wafer 13 and engages with the engagement hole 34. The engagement claw is operated by an actuator or the like, for example, and can be engaged with and disengaged from the wafer 13. The wafer 13 can be replaced by detaching the engaging claw from the wafer 13.

  The leaf spring 42 is made of a metal spring material formed in a substantially rectangular shape. The leaf spring 42 is disposed substantially horizontally in the groove 40c of the main body block 40 so as to cover the lower end opening of the through hole 40d.

  Near the four corners of the leaf spring 42, outer screw insertion holes (not shown) through which the screws A shown in FIGS. 8 and 13 are inserted are formed. The end side of the leaf spring 42 is fastened and fixed to the main body block 40 by inserting the screws A through these outer screw insertion holes and screwing them into screw holes (not shown) formed in the main body block 40. In this state, the intermediate portion between the front side and the rear side of the leaf spring 42 faces the through hole 40d, and the intermediate portion is elastically deformed in the vertical direction.

  An inner screw insertion hole (not shown) through which the screw B is inserted is formed in an intermediate portion between the front side and the rear side of the leaf spring 42. As shown in FIG. 11, a wafer holding member 41 is placed on the upper surface of the intermediate portion of the leaf spring 42, and the lower surface of the wafer holding member 41 and the upper surface of the leaf spring 42 are in contact with each other.

  The lower block 45 is attached to the lower surface of the intermediate portion of the leaf spring 42. The lower block 45 is formed in a thick plate shape. In the vicinity of the four corners of the lower block 45, screw insertion holes (not shown) that coincide with the inner screw insertion holes of the leaf spring 42 are formed. The wafer holding member 41 and the lower block are inserted by inserting the screws B into the screw insertion holes of the lower block 45 and the screw insertion holes of the leaf spring 42 and screwing them into screw holes (not shown) formed in the wafer holding member 41. 45 is fixed to the leaf spring 42. In other words, the wafer holding member 41 and the lower block 45 are fixed to the leaf spring 42 by the common screw B, so that the lower block 45 is coupled to the wafer holding member 41.

  Since the wafer holding member 41 is fixed to the main body block 40 via the leaf spring 42 that elastically deforms in the vertical direction as described above, the wafer holding member 41 is in a floating state with respect to the main body block 40 and is displaced in the vertical direction. Is possible. The support member of the present invention is configured by a leaf spring 42.

  The floating state is a state in which the wafer holding member 41 is not rigidly connected to the main body block 40, and relative displacement in the vertical direction is allowed when an external force in the vertical direction is applied.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a horizontal surface (contact surface) 45 c extending substantially horizontally is formed at the center of the lower surface of the lower block 45. On the near side of the lower surface of the lower block 45 with respect to the horizontal surface 45c, a near side inclined surface 45d is connected. The near-side inclined surface 45d is inclined so as to be positioned upward as it goes away from the horizontal surface 45c and goes to the near side. Further, a back side inclined surface 45e is connected to the back side of the lower surface of the lower block 45 with respect to the horizontal surface 45c. The back side inclined surface 45e is inclined so as to be positioned upward as it goes away from the horizontal surface 45c and goes to the back side.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the carriage drive mechanism 15 includes a guide rod 50, a screw rod 51, and a carriage drive motor 52 that rotates the screw rod 51. The guide bar 50 is disposed on the left side in the box-shaped member 18a and extends substantially horizontally from the near side to the far side. Both ends of the guide bar 50 are fixed to the box-shaped member 18a. The screw rod 51 extends substantially parallel to the guide rod 50, and both ends thereof are supported so as to be rotatable about the axis with respect to the box-shaped member 18a. The carriage drive motor 52 is a servomotor that can rotate forward and backward, and is controlled by the control unit 17 to stop at an arbitrary timing.

  By inserting the screw rod 51 into the shaft insertion hole 40b of the main body block 40 of the carriage 14 and screwing it into the nut sliding screw device, the main body block 40 and the screw rod 51 are connected, and the screw rod 51 is rotated. The rotational force of the carriage drive motor 52 is transmitted to the main body block 40, and the carriage 14 linearly moves to the near side and the far side.

  A height adjusting mechanism 55 for adjusting the height of the wafer holding member 41 is provided at the lower end of the box-shaped member 18a. The height adjustment mechanism 55 is disposed directly below the groove portions 20a and 23a of the left and right tube holders 10 and 11, and includes a plate 56 extending in the left-right direction, a pair of adjustment pins 57 and 57, a lock nut 53, 53.

  The plate 56 extends substantially horizontally in the left-right direction so as to connect the left and right side walls of the box-shaped member 18a, and both ends in the left-right direction are fixed to the left and right side walls of the box-shaped member 18a. Screw holes 56a and 56a (shown only in FIG. 9) penetrating in the up-down direction are formed in the middle portion of the plate 56 in the left-right direction and spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. As shown in the figure, the screw holes 56 a and 56 a are positioned directly below the lower block 45 of the carriage 14.

  The adjustment pin 57 has a cylindrical shape. On the outer peripheral surface of the adjustment pin 57, a screw thread that is screwed into the screw hole 56a of the plate 56 is formed. The adjustment pin 57 is configured to extend in the vertical direction and is screwed into the screw hole 56a. By rotating the adjustment pin 57, the height of the upper end of the adjustment pin 57 can be changed. The lock nut 53 is screwed into a portion protruding below the plate 56 in each adjustment pin 57. By tightening the lock nut 53 to the plate 56 side, the rotation of the adjustment pin 57 can be locked.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the wafer heater 16 is located on the front side of the tube holders 10 and 11 inside the box-shaped member 18a. The wafer heater 16 includes a heating element that generates heat when a current flows, such as a heating wire. The wafer heater 16 has the capability of heating the temperature of the wafer 13 to be equal to or higher than the melting temperature of the tubes 100 and 102 (for example, about 300 ° C.). The wafer heater 16 is connected to the control unit 17 and operates based on a control signal output from the control unit 17.

  The wafer heater 16 is formed with a wafer insertion slit 16a into which the wafer 13 is inserted. The wafer insertion slit 16a extends in the depth direction of the box-shaped member 18a. The wafer 13 is inserted into the wafer insertion slit 16 a so that the cutting portion 31 is located on the back side, and is held by the wafer holding member 41 of the carriage 14.

  An operation panel portion 18c is provided on the upper surface of the box-shaped member 18a. An operation button 46 is provided on the operation panel 18c. The operation button 46 is connected to the control unit 17. The operation button 46 is used when the operation of the tube fusing device 1 is started.

  The controller 17 is configured to control the tube holder drive motor 12, the wafer heater 16, and the carriage drive mechanism 15. The control unit 17 can be configured by a known microcomputer.

  The control unit 17 is configured to perform both tube welding control for connecting the abdomen side tube 100 and the bag side tube 102 and tube fusing control for fusing the abdomen side tube 100 or the bag side tube 102. Yes. The tube welding control and the tube fusing control can be arbitrarily switched and selected by the user by operating the operation button 46.

  In the tube welding control, the abdomen side tube 100 and the bag side tube 102 whose end portions are sealed are connected. First, the carriage 14 is moved toward the front side of the box-shaped member 18 a to move the wafer 13. An engagement claw (not shown) of the carriage 14 is engaged with the engagement hole 34 to hold the wafer 13 with the carriage 14. Then, the carriage 14 is moved to the back side, the wafer 13 is placed inside the wafer heater 16, and the wafer heater 16 is operated to heat the wafer 13. At this time, the left and right tube holders 10 and 11 are positioned so that the sealed ends of the tubes 100 and 102 are separated from each other.

  Thereafter, the carriage drive mechanism 15 is operated so that the wings 30 and 30 of the wafer 13 are opposed to the ends of the tubes 100 and 102 (indicated by phantom lines in FIG. 14).

  Then, the tube holder drive motor 12 is operated to move the left and right tube holders 10 and 11 in directions approaching each other, as shown in FIG. Press to 30. Since the wing portions 30 and 30 are heated, the sealed end portions of the tubes 100 and 102 are melted and enter the inside from the end portions of the tubes 100 and 102. Thereby, the wide range of the edge part of the tubes 100 and 102 melts.

  Thereafter, the wafer 13 is moved to the inner side of the box-shaped member 18a without moving the left and right tube holders 10 and 11. When the wafer 13 is moved to the back side, the open portions of the bulging portions 32 and 32 come into contact with the sealed end portions of the tubes 100 and 102 as shown in FIG. Since the sealed end portion is melted, a part of the melted portion is scraped and removed by the open portions of the bulging portions 32 and 32.

  Thereafter, the wafer 13 is further moved to the back side of the box-shaped member 18a, and the melting portions 33, 33 of the wafer 13 are opposed to the ends of the tubes 100, 102. Then, the left and right tube holders 10 and 11 are moved toward each other, and the ends of the tubes 100 and 102 are brought into contact with the melting portions 33 and 33 of the wafer 13 as shown in FIG. To do. This predetermined time is such a time that the ends of the tubes 100 and 102 are sufficiently melted.

  Next, the wafer 13 is moved to the back side of the box-shaped member 18 a, and the wafer 13 is pulled out from between the ends of the tubes 100 and 102. Then, the left and right tube holders 10 and 11 are moved in a direction approaching each other, and as shown in FIG. 18, the ends of the tubes 100 and 102 are brought into contact with each other and held as they are for a predetermined time. This predetermined time is the time required for the ends of the tubes 100 and 102 to cool and solidify. The above is tube welding control.

  On the other hand, in the tube fusing control, first, the wafer 13 is moved to the back side in the box-shaped member 18 a and the wafer 13 is heated by the wafer heater 16.

  Thereafter, while moving the left and right tube holders 10 and 11 away from each other, as shown in FIG. 19, the wafer 13 is moved to the back side of the box-shaped member 18a and the cutting portion 31 is pressed against the tube 100. Since the cutting part 31 is heated, the tube 100 is melted.

  Thereafter, the carriage drive mechanism 15 is operated to move the wafer 13 to the inner side of the box-shaped member 18a, so that the wings 30 and 30 are opposed to the cut end of the tube 100 as shown in FIG.

  Thereafter, the tube holder drive motor 12 is operated to move the left and right tube holders 10 and 11 in a direction approaching each other as shown in FIG. 15, and the cut end of the tube 100 is moved to the wings 30 and 30. Press. Since the wings 30 and 30 are heated, a wide range of the ends of the tubes 100 and 102 is melted.

  Next, the wafer 13 is moved to the back side of the box-shaped member 18a. When the wafer 13 is moved to the back side, the open portions of the bulging portions 32 and 32 come into contact with the cut end portion of the tube 100. Since the cut end portion is melted, a part of the melted portion is scraped and removed by the open portions of the bulging portions 32 and 32. The remaining melted portion is cooled and solidified, whereby the cut end portion of the tube 100 is sealed.

  As described above, in tube welding control and tube fusing control, the blade portions 30 and 30 of the wafer 13 are inserted into the ends of the tubes 100 and 102. At this time, if the height of the wings 30 and 30 is shifted from the height of the ends of the tubes 100 and 102, the wings 30 and 30 cannot be inserted into the ends of the tubes 100 and 102 as intended, and the tube 100 , 102 may not be sufficiently melted.

  In the present embodiment, the height adjustment mechanism 55 can be used to match the heights of the blade portions 30 and 30 of the wafer 13 and the ends of the tubes 100 and 102. That is, in this embodiment, the assembly position of each component is set in advance so that the wings 30 and 30 of the wafer 13 are lower than the ends of the tubes 100 and 102. Then, the adjustment pins 57 and 57 are rotated so that the adjustment pins 57 and 57 of the height adjustment mechanism 55 move upward. Then, the heights of the upper ends of the adjustment pins 57 and 57 are increased. As shown in FIG. 9, when the adjustment pins 57 and 57 come into contact with the horizontal surface 45 c of the lower block 45 of the carriage 14, A force is applied in the upward direction. Due to the force from the adjustment pins 57, 57, the leaf spring 42 is elastically deformed upward and the wafer holding member 41 is displaced upward. At this time, the adjustment pins 57 and 57 come into contact with the inclined surfaces 45d and 45e before coming into contact with the horizontal surface 45c of the lower block 45, and while the adjustment pins 57 and 57 are in contact with the inclined surfaces 45d and 45e. The wafer holding member 41 is gradually displaced upward corresponding to the degree of inclination.

  As described above, the wings 30 and 30 of the wafer 13 can be raised to coincide with the ends of the tubes 100 and 102. In the state shown in FIG. 9, if the blades 30 and 30 of the wafer 13 are higher than the ends of the tubes 100 and 102, the adjustment pins 57 and 57 may be moved downward.

  When the height adjustment of the wafer holding member 41 is completed, the lock nuts 53 and 53 are tightened in the direction in contact with the plate 56. Thereby, the adjustment pins 57 and 57 do not move unexpectedly.

  If the height adjustment of the wafer holding member 41 is performed, for example, at the time of factory shipment of the tube fusing and welding apparatus 1, no adjustment by the user is required thereafter. Further, the height of the wafer holding member 41 may be adjusted during maintenance of the tube fusing device 1.

  Since the adjustment pins 57 and 57 are moved in the vertical direction by a screw mechanism, the height can be set steplessly. Therefore, fine height adjustment is also possible.

  Further, since the adjustment pins 57 and 57 are separated in the left-right direction, an upward force can be applied to the wafer holding member 41 from both the left and right sides. Thereby, the attitude | position of the wafer holding member 41 can be stabilized.

  As described above, according to the tube fusing and welding apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, the blades of the wafer 13 are caused by, for example, variation within the dimensional tolerance range of each component or variation within the assembly tolerance range. When the heights of the portions 30 and 30 are deviated from the heights of the tubes 100 and 102, the height adjustment mechanism 55 can match the heights of the two. Accordingly, the height of the wing portions 30 and 30 of the wafer 13 and the height of the tubes 100 and 102 can be reduced at low cost without increasing the dimensional accuracy of each component so much and without strictly managing the assembly of each component. Therefore, the tubes 100 and 102 can be sealed and connected firmly and securely.

  Further, since the wafer holding member 41 is elastically supported with respect to the main body block 40 of the carriage 14, the height of the wafer holding member 41 can be easily adjusted only by operating the height adjustment mechanism 55.

  In addition, since the wafer holding member 41 is elastically supported by the plate spring 42, a structure that allows the vertical displacement of the wafer holding member 41 can be obtained in a compact manner.

  In addition, since the adjustment pin 57 is disposed directly below the groove portions 20a and 23a of the tube holders 10 and 11, the height of the wing portions 30 and 30 of the wafer 13 and the height of the tubes 100 and 102 can be reliably matched. it can.

  Further, the carriage 14 is provided with a horizontal surface 45c that contacts the height adjusting mechanism 55, and the inclined surfaces 45d and 45e are connected to the outer edge portion of the horizontal surface 45c in the moving direction of the carriage 14, so that the height of the wafer holding member 41 is smooth. Can be changed.

  In addition, the lower block 45 in contact with the height adjusting mechanism 55 is provided on the lower surface of the plate spring 42, and the outer shape of the lower block 45 is set smaller than the lower end opening of the through hole 40d of the main body block 40. When the 41 is displaced upward, the lower block 45 does not interfere with the main body block 40 of the carriage 14, and the height can be adjusted reliably.

  The present invention can be used not only when the abdomen side tube 100 and the bag side tube 102 of a CAPD patient are joined but also when joining various tubes that are melted by heating.

  In the above-described embodiment, the two adjustment pins 57 and 57 are provided. However, the number of adjustment pins 57 and 57 is not limited to this, and may be one or three or more. Further, the shape of the adjustment pins 57, 57 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and can be set to an arbitrary shape.

  Moreover, you may make it attach the rolling member like a steel ball to the upper end part of the adjustment pins 57 and 57, for example. Thereby, the frictional force between the adjustment pins 57 and 57 and the lower block 45 can be reduced.

  In the above embodiment, the lower block 45 is coupled to the wafer holding member 41 of the carriage 14 and the adjustment pins 57 and 57 of the height adjustment mechanism 55 are brought into contact with the lower block 45. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the wafer holding member 41 may be formed so as to penetrate the plate spring 42 and protrude downward from the lower surface of the plate spring 42, and the adjustment pins 57 and 57 may be brought into contact with the protruding portions.

  As described above, the tube fusing and welding apparatus according to the present invention can be used, for example, when connecting a CAPD patient's bag-side tube and an abdomen-side tube or cutting the tube.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tube cutting welding apparatus 10 Left side tube holder (1st tube holder)
11 Right tube holder (second tube holder)
12 Tube holder drive motor (tube holder drive means)
13 Wafer 14 Carriage 15 Carriage drive mechanism (carriage drive means)
16 Wafer heater (heating means)
18 Main unit 30 Wing unit 40 Main unit block
41 Wafer holding member 42 Leaf spring (supporting member)
45 Lower block (contact member)
45c Horizontal surface (contact surface)
45d Front side inclined surface 45e Back side inclined surface 55 Height adjustment mechanism 57 Adjustment pin 100 Abdomen side tube 102 Bag side tube

Claims (6)

In a tube fusing and welding apparatus configured to melt and weld a resin tube using a wafer having wings protruding to both sides in the thickness direction,
First and second tube holders arranged side by side in a horizontal direction and holding the tube at a predetermined height;
A tube holder driving means for moving the first and second tube holders in the direction of approaching and separating from each other;
Heating means for heating the wafer to a temperature equal to or higher than the melting temperature of the tube;
A carriage for holding the wafer;
Carriage drive means configured to move the wafer between the tube holders by horizontally moving the carriage in a direction intersecting the tube holder arrangement direction;
An apparatus main body to which the tube holder, the tube holder driving means and the carriage driving means are attached;
The carriage is connected to the carriage driving means to transmit a driving force, a wafer holding member for holding the wafer in a posture extending across the center line of the tube, and the wafer A support member that supports the holding member in a floating state so that the holding member can be displaced in the vertical direction with respect to the main body,
A tube fusing and welding apparatus, wherein a height adjusting mechanism for adjusting the height of the wafer holding member is provided below the wafer holding member in the apparatus main body. In the tube fusing apparatus according to claim 1,
The tube fusing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support member is an elastic body. In the tube fusing and welding apparatus according to claim 2,
The elastic body is a leaf spring,
A tube fusing and welding apparatus, wherein an end portion side of the plate spring is fixed to a main body portion of the carriage, and the wafer holding member is fixed to an intermediate portion of the plate spring. In the tube fusing and welding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The height adjustment mechanism includes an adjustment pin that moves in the vertical direction to displace the wafer holding member of the carriage in the vertical direction.
The tube fusing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment pin is disposed directly below a tube holding portion set in the first and second tube holders. In the tube fusing welding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A contact member having a contact surface with which the height adjusting mechanism contacts from below is coupled to the wafer holding member of the carriage,
A tube fusing / welding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an inclined surface that inclines so as to be positioned upward as it moves away from the contact surface is connected to an outer edge portion of the contact surface in the moving direction of the carriage. In the tube fusing welding device according to claim 3 ,
A through hole penetrating in the vertical direction is formed in the main body of the carriage, and the wafer holding member is inserted into the through hole,
The leaf spring is attached to the lower surface of the main body so as to cover the lower end opening of the through hole of the main body,
The lower surface of the leaf spring is provided with a contact member that contacts the height adjustment mechanism,
An outer shape of the contact member is set to be smaller than a lower end opening of the through hole.

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